Of Gunpowder & Scheming Friends
by TsumetaiYuuki
Summary: Tenten was screwed. Between Sakura's bet, Hinata's scheming, and Hyuuga's unhelpfulness, she was undoubtedly, definitely, screwed. With friends like these, who need enemies? Neji/Tenten and slight Lee/Sakura


**Hi****ཀ ****I know, I know, I have two stories that I haven't update in forever, why in the world am I writing another one? This is actually a one-shot gift-fic for a friend of mine, PeaceGirlForever. I got her obsessed with fanfiction, so she had be write a Neji/Tenten one-shot...against my will, xD. I got into the writing spirit though, so here it is!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, or any of its characters. I only own the plot...**

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Of Gunpowder & Scheming Friends

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"_**Nani!**_" echoed through the almost empty hallways of Konoha High School (KHS). Said incredulous voice belonged to one of its students (quite obviously). The only other occupant of the seemingly vacated school smirked, an unsettling gleam in his pale lavender eyes. "I said yes to your invitation," the clear and sharp tone of Hyuuga Neji rang out. "So, then, I'll pick you up at seven tonight. Be prepared." Footsteps sounded down the hallway, and the school was left in dead silence.

Well, almost silence. "_**Haruno Sakura**__**ཀ **__**You **_WILL_** die for this!**_"

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Walking home from school, a pinkette sneezed delicately. "Are you all right, my radiant pink blossom of youth?" a green spandex-clad teenager questioned next to her. She gave a tolerant smile, and replied, "I'm perfectly fine, Lee-kun." And so they continued their walk.

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Let's see how this began, neh? How one of the star students of KHS, as well as gifted weapons mistress was now trapped into meeting one of the most stoical, aristocratical, arrogant, stuck-up...well, the point is understood...boys she ever had the displeasure of meeting? Two simple words. Haruno Sakura.

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_~Flashback~_

"_No way!__" __Tenten exclaimed. "Why not?" pleaded an emerald-eyed pinkette. "It seems that all you do is study, fight, train, work at your father's weapons shop, or train some more!__" "__And I'm perfectly fine with that," answered Tenten. "As a wonderfully loyal friend, I cannot and shall not let you do that!__" __proclaimed Sakura. "Try stopping me," Tenten replied determinedly. "You __**will**__ find someone to accompany you tomorrow night. It will be a perfectly bright and sunny Friday afternoon, and you undoubtedly will be spending the wonderful day in your backyard practicing more weapons stuff __**again**!__" _

"_Yes, I am. And you're not going to stop me,__" __said Tenten. Sakura watch her friend stalk away for a few seconds, her evil and scheming...wait, no, that's the wrong words...ingenious and quick mind made up a brilliant plan. She called out after the brunette, "If you don't find someone, anyone you'd like, just for a night out to dinner or the movies, or _something_, I'll tell your dad about that fistfight you had with Neji a week ago.__"_

_As an unspoken rule between Tenten and her father, she was prohibited to fight anyone, with weapons or otherwise, since she had received special training from him as a child, and still was. Her tou-san didn't and wouldn't care that Hyuuga was specially trained too (not that he knew that Hyuuga was her opponent; he only knew that Tenten wasn't getting along very well with a classmate of hers), and the fight was a perfectly well matched one. Tenten stopped dead in her tracks, and pivoted. Narrowing her eyes at Sakura, she scowled, "You wouldn't.__" __A look at the pinkette's smirking face told Tenten that she definitely would. _

_Quickly, Tenten's mind raced. "What if the person I ask out rejects me?" she asked, counting on that loop-hole. Emerald eyes peered out at Tenten, and the weapons mistress shuddered very slightly. Haruno Sakura was no being to toy with__,"__Fine," answered Sakura a bit grudgingly. But then again, who would reject Tenten? She was beautiful and smart to boot, and was also quite infamous for shooting down all offers of a date. _

_Tenten grinned, she now had the perfect plan._

_~End Flashback~_

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And we all saw how her perfect plan went...

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And so the weapons mistress was now permanently trapped in this situation. Tenten fervently hated something right now, and she wasn't sure what. Oh, she had plenty of choices, so it definitely wasn't the lack of them that made her hesitate. No, Tenten was stricken between choosing Hyuuga or Haruno. Absentmindedly, she wondered if the jerk (Hyuuga, she meant; even if Tenten was murderous at both, that title was reserved for Hyuuga) would leave if she refused to open the door and hid out the day in her room. Probably not. Scratch that. Definitely not.

That plus the fact that her father (who ran the weapons shop the floor before their two roomed apartment) would see Hyuuga coming, and undoubtedly invite him in for tea or something. And trust her, Tenten did _not_ want Hyuuga over for anything, let alone tea. The two of them were bitter enemies of goodness sakeཀ They fought constantly, quarreled over anything possible, and even had fistfights in the alleyཀ Well, Tenten did start most of them by taunting him, and throwing a couple of right hooks at his head...but they were harmless. Mostly...

Anyways, they were rivals. Enmity radiated in every atmosphere in which they were both in. Why did Hyuuga feel the need to accept her invitation? Seriously, I'll pick you up at seven, be prepared? What kind of line was that? How did Hyuuga even know where she lived? Tenten sighed, and flopped down on the navy blue covers of her futon. Curse Sakura...

With that line of thought, Tenten continued moping in her bed for the next three hours, until six thirty. She had no doubt that Hyuuga would drag her out against her will if she stood him up, especially since it was "her" request. Even so, she would go out fighting. Trudging out of her room, Tenten headed to the kitchen to get a glass of water. As she was adding an ice cube, the doorbell rang. Wondering who it was at that time of day, the brunette walked over to the door. Keeping the chain lock on, Tenten opened the door. And promptly tossed three flying shuriken (of which she always had plenty on hand) into the face of said visitor, slamming the door seconds after.

Stay calm. It didn't matter that she was standing there in a t-shirt and sweat pants. Or that Hyuuga was standing outside, lavender eyes calmly staring at her door. Nope, didn't matter at all. Of course not. Just continue breathing. In and out...in and out. Continuing her breathing pattern, Tenten went back into her room. It's not like Hyuuga would break down the door or something, Wait...now that the brunette thought about it, how did the jerk get all the way up here without her dad stopping him anyways?

Her dad was notorious among her male friends at having them all interrogated before inviting them into the house. Well, except for Naruto-kun. Tenten's father seemed to have taken on a liking to the bright and smiling blond boy, for whatever reason. As if answering her question, Tenten heard someone opening the door to her house. Figuring that Hyuuga must have left, and her father was probably home for dinner, Tenten called out, "Okaeri."

"Tadaima," a sharp and familiar voice answered, with a tint of cynicism. Wait. Her father's voice was decidedly warm and soft, not sharp or icy. In fact, that voice sounded a lot like that Hyuuga she just slammed the door at. It couldn't be, right? I'm just hallucinating, she assured herself, as the brunette went out to either kill or greet her guest. Keeping a handful of senbon at hand, Tenten opened the door to her room.

Walking to the living room, she came across what must've been one of her worst nightmares. The Hyuuga Neji was sitting on her couch, calmly drinking what seemed like a bottle of iced tea from _her_ fridge. Tenten restrained a high-pitched shriek that would be much unlike her, and launched all thirty senbon she had in her hand at his face. With a calm look on his face, Hyuuga tilted his head to the right, and the flying needles stabbed themselves into her sofa. Great. Now she had to clean those up.

"What in the _world_ are you doing here?" Tenten asked in a deathly calm voice. "I told you seven o'clock, and it's now seven twenty." he replied, a smug smirk on his face. "Can you not read clocks?" "Why you..." Tenten exclaimed, tossing a kunai. "How dare you come into my house uninvited, and insult me!" Almost teasingly, Hyuuga dangled a key chain in front of her face.

"I don't think I'm uninvited," Hyuuga smirked. Tenten really wanted to wipe that smug expression off his face. "Your father let me in, and told me to help myself." Just when Tenten was about to launch some more weapons, or engage in a fistfight, or something, her father walked in. "Ah, Tenten, how nice of you to go out with a friend. Especially Neji-kun here," Trying not to kill everyone in her life, Tenten took a deep breath. "You know Hyuuga-san here?"

"Neji-kun used to be my student, when I held classes to get some extra money the years you were in elementary school. I had him when you took your illusionary lessons with Yuuhi-san." her father answered. "Why so formal? Isn't Neji-kun your friend? He told me that he was going to be taking you out for dinner. And why aren't you dressed yet?" Tenten took a deep breath, and sighed mentally. Now that her father was in it, she had no way out of it. Ever since the weapons mistress was little, Tenten's father had never been very strict. Oh, sure, he might've punished her now and again, but it was never very severe. But when he made up his mind, nothing could persuade him otherwise.

Ah, Tenten could always ditch Hyuuga later. Couldn't she? Well, she seemed to have the worst luck ever today. "Oh, and Tenten?" "Yes, tou-san?" "Your friend, Sakura, called the phone downstairs and said that she would be coming over soon." "What?ཀ" As if on cue, Haruno Sakura walked into the room. "Neji, Tenten-chan, konbanwa. Neji, I'm going to borrow Tenten for a bit. Just wait here, we'll be right backཀ" She smiled disarmingly, and greeted Tenten's father before dragging the unfortunate girl into her bedroom again.

"What do you think you're doing?" Sakura hissed once they were inside the bedroom. "Don't just stand there staring at him," "I wasn't staring at himཀ" "get ready alreadyཀ" Sighing in frustration, the pinkette pivoted Tenten, dropping her friend on her futon, and starting rummaging through Tenten's closet. "Where's that dress I gave you for your birthday two months ago?" Sakura asked. "You mean the one I _swore_ I wouldn't wear the second I saw it?"

"Yes, that oneཀ" Sakura answered. "I either burned it, or it's behind everything else," Tenten smiled. "Whatཀ You're supposed to wear my gifts, not bury them in the back of your closetཀ" Tenten just continued to sit there, grinning, while tucking what of her hair that wasn't in two buns behind her ear. "Ahaཀ" exclaimed Sakura triumphantly, pulling out an azure colored spaghetti-strapped dress that fell down in ripples of fabric up to the knees. In the other hand, Sakura held a pair of high-heels, a slightly darker yet bright shade of navy. "Like hell I'll wear that!" yelled Tenten. "Where did you even get those shoes anyways?"

"I brought them, since I was sure you wouldn't have anything suitable." "Define suitable." Tenten glared at the offending garments. Sakura just smiled evilly, *ahem* sweetly *ahem*, and in ten minutes, Tenten was standing in the living room glaring at all of the occupants. Hyuuga and her father stared at her, slightly stunned by the transformation. Sakura stood next to her, smiling as proudly as a master would protégée. Being forced to don the shoes and dress by Sakura, the pinkette also added a faint hint of makeup, barely noticeable, and a necklace charm with a small sapphire set in the middle. The indignant Tenten had also been submitted to having her hair ties stolen, and so that her dark brown hair tumbled down her back in waves from having been in buns so long.

Standing stiffly, Tenten looked extremely uncomfortable. "Shall we, then?" Hyuuga asked, offering an elbow. Tenten ignored it, and sending an angry goodbye over her shoulder, she stalked outside. An indifferent Hyuuga followed. "That went well, then," Sakura commented, before disappearing into Tenten's room.

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When Neji got down to the front of the weapons shop that Tenten's family owned, he stopped, uncharacteristically grabbing his companion's elbow. "Sakura has informed us that she and Lee are 'double-dating' with us on the little expedition." "Like I care!" Tenten shouted, attracting the attention of the pedestrians on the street. Blushing slightly, she turned around to glare at him. Two seconds later, Lee came _skipping_ down her street. Cringing, Neji took a step back. At his side, Tenten tried to remain stoical, but she too backed away seconds after the Hyuuga.

"Neji, Tenten, You look very youthfulཀ My beautiful pink cherry blossom has asked if we could double-date, and I told her that it would be in my youthful pleasure that we do so," the bowl cut-haired boy exclaimed, showing two thumbs up and teeth a-glinting. Thankfully, Sakura showed up, walking down the stairs. "Ah, my stunning blossom of sunshine," Lee greeted, spouting flowery prose. "Lee-kun," greeted Sakura, smiling softly at him.

Now as much as Tenten hated her friend right now, she had to admit that Sakura had stunning fashion taste. As the shades of blue brought out her chocolate brown eyes, the black dress that Sakura had chosen was just as stunning. The dark fabric highlighted her unusual features, pink hair and emerald green eyes. A thin silver bracelet adorned her wrist, and the sequins on the dress stood out perfectly. Lee complimented Sakura on her attire, and the normally outgoing and bossy girl blushed the slightest tinge of pink, before thanking him. "Now, where do you plan on going?" Sakura asked, as she bounced back from her Lee-induced state.

Tenten continued sulking, and ignored the pinkette. Well, as much as Tenten could ignore anyone. "I want to go home, or anywhere else away from this...this..." Before she could finish that sentence, Sakura cut back in. "Lee-kun, Neji, any suggestions?" She was met with an indifferent look from Neji, and a adoring one from Lee. Not exactly any help. "O–k, then," Sakura said, "How about we just walk around and see if we want to do anything?" Receiving no response, (except for "As you wish my fiery blossom of youthཀ" which wasn't much to work on), she took Lee's hand, and started walking down the street.

Neji offered his again, but Tenten ignored it, preferring to continue scaring little children on the street as she death-glared at anyone she met. Was that a hint of something other than a smirk or glare on Neji's face? *Gasp.* And so the little entourage of four walked their merry way throughout the city. Coming across a movie theater, Sakura peered at the selections. Lee asked Sakura, "Want to watch that one?" Sakura looked at Lee's choice, and shuddering internally (The Happy Chipmunks of Youth?! Who in the world made those sort of movies?!) replied, "Maybe next time, Lee-kun."

Lee flashed a smile, and nodded. "Tenten-chan, Neji, what do you two want to watch? Does Romance on the Carribean sound all right?" Tenten immediately fired back, "The day I go into that kind of movie with Hyuuga anywhere near me is the day I'll give up sesame dumplings and Chinese food forever." Now, Tenten's love for both those food items was renown, and near everyone knew that that would never happen in a million years. "O–k, then, how about..." This went on for quite awhile, and they ended up going to see a ninja movie that was the only thing they could all agree upon.

After buying the tickets, Sakura dragged the whole group inside, and walked up to the snack counter. "What do you guys want? And don't tell me whatever, or ignore me, _or else_." Even Neji took a near unseeable half-step back, and Tenten idly wondered how Lee could spend so much time together with Sakura and not have melted into a green liquid mass already. Sighing most dejectedly, Tenten peered at the snacks. "Shouldn't we have gone to dinner before this? So that we would actually be able to stomach real food?" Neji suggested, in a rather cold voice. Sakura blinked and then muttered, "It's not my fault that this was the first thing I saw. Some people just won't participate."

"Don't yell at my friend, Hyuugaཀ" Tenten glared. "I was informed that yelling meant raising your voice to a certain level. What do you call your voice? Unearthly screaming?" Fuming, Tenten pulled back her hand, whisking a steel edged fan out of seemingly nowhere. Neji retaliated by pulling out his own wakizashi to block the attack. The person sitting behind the counter waiting for them was turning an unnaturally pale shade of white.

"Now, now..." Sakura said nervously, moving to stop them. Still glaring, Tenten moved to look up at the snack board again. Seeing something she liked (mini sesame dumplingsཀ) she asked for those. The woman behind the counter nodded, still a bit pale, and asked, "Anything for the rest of you?" Sakura skimmed the menu, before answering. "Ok, that'll be two large buckets of popcorn, four sodas, and two small boxes of candy, plus the lady's order of sesame dumplings, correct?"

Sakura nodded, and Neji commented wryly, "Somehow I don't think we'll be able to eat dinner later." "Don't worry about it," waved off Sakura, "we can always eat something later than usual." Neji showed no emotion, but simply nodded. "That'll be thirteen fifty eight," the person informed them. Tenten grabbed her wallet, and handed fifteen dollars to the woman. Sadly, Hyuuga beat her to it, and Tenten slapped his hand away. "Like I'm going to let you pay for me."

"Likewise," replied Neji simply. "Eh..heh..." Sakura made a sound of helplessness. "It seemed like Neji and Tenten were able to quarrel with each other no matter where they were, or what situation was happening. "How about I pay?" Lee suggested, looking between his three companions. "NOཀ" "No." was heard, and Lee sweat-dropped. "Ah...ok?" "Hurry it upཀ" someone called from behind them. Tenten was about to turn around and start throwing shuriken, but Sakura thankfully acted. Shoving her friends and date out of the line, she paid quickly, and thanked the lady. Handing a bucket of popcorn and candy to Neji, and another set to Lee, the pinkette also gave Tenten two sodas to hold. "Problem solved, right?"

"Hmph." "Hn." came in unison, and both Neji and Tenten started stalking off, until they both noticed they were doing the same thing. Then they both stopped. Glaring at each other, the atmosphere became icy. "Eh...he...Let's go," Sakura exclaimed, indicating for Lee to grab Neji. "Ah, let us celebrate the flames of youth by running to our seats," Lee proclaimed, tugging and indignant Neji by the wrist. Sakura and Tenten followed them at a more sedate pace.

After entering the theater room in which they would be watching the movie, the four tried to find seats. Unfortunately, due to the time Neji and Tenten spent arguing over ... nothing, to be exact, the movie was about to start, and the majority of the seats gone. Tenten managed to spot a pair of seats in the back of the theater, and Sakura a pair in the front. Reacting quickly, the pinkette dragged her boyfriend over to the pair of seats in the front, and waved rather cheekily to Tenten and Neji.

"Shall we, then?" asked Neji, gesturing to the movie screen, which had started playing the beginning. Tenten sighed. She gave. She might as well enjoy the evening as best as she could, and ignore the Hyuuga at the same time. It seemed that she had no other option, and making herself miserable wouldn't be any help. Quietly walking to the pair of seats in the back, Tenten managed to shove Neji into a wall, and stomp on his foot as she walked by. Just because she was resigned to her fate for a day doesn't mean she had to take it sitting down.

Throughout the entire movie the silence between the pair was icy at best. Though the movie did interest Tenten, because of the various types of weapons and fighting styles used, she wasn't able to enjoy it because of the quiet aura of Hyuuga next to her. It was just so...cold to the point of eeriness.

Hyuuga offered her some popcorn. Well, as much as Neji could, he merely placed the bucket of popcorn and box of candy on the between them. Having finished her sesame dumplings almost before the movie started, Tenten took some, taking care never to meet his pale hand. Obviously, silence ensued.

When the ninja movie was finally over, the darkness faded away to dim lighting. It was then that Tenten noticed who was sitting next to her. "Hinata-chan? Yuuhi-taichou?"

Standing up next to her was the two aforementioned woman, her friend Hinata standing with a friend of the Hyuugas and Hinata's "aunt" of sorts, Yuuhi Kurenai. They were dressed comfortably, and lavender and crimson eyes widened in unison at the sight of Neji and Tenten. "Tenten-chanཀ Nejiཀ Did you like the movie?" Sakura asked, as she approached them with Lee in tow. "Ahཀ Hinata-chan, Yuuhi-san, konbanwaཀ" "Konbanwa," chorused Kurenai and Hinata together. "Hinata-sama, Yuuhi-san." "Neji-niisan, I told you to stop calling me thatཀ" "As you wish, Hinata-sama." Hinata rolled her eyes imperceptibly, and smiled.

"What are you doing here with Tenten-chan?" the violet-blue haired girl asked curiously. "She asked me out," Neji smirked, obviously amused at the situation. "Nani?!" Hinata gasped, unlike her. She was usually a reserved and quiet girl, especially in public places. "Tenten-chan?!" she continued. The girl in question was staring at the ground, eyes blank and glazed. "Tenten-chan? Tenten-chan?" Hinata said, looking worried. "Tenten!!" Sakura yelled, shaking the brunette rather brutally. Well, perhaps Hinata was more worried about that.

Snapping out of it, chocolate brown eyes narrowed in suspicion. "How do you know Hinata-chan and Yuuhi-taichou?" Injecting herself into the conversation, Yuuhi said, "Tenten, I told you to just call me Kurenai, neh?" Looking as Tenten's glare softened into a look that screamed _really? _she continued, "Or I'll set _that_ on you." Now, keep in mind, that Yuuhi Kurenai had been Tenten's illusionary teacher for a period of 3 years, and they maintained a close relationship even afterwards. Tenten immediately jumped back what seemed like five feet, and tripped over Neji, who was standing behind her.

He caught her, and Tenten muttered a reluctant thanks before pulling herself upright again. "Anyways, so, Hina-chan? Why are you calling him nii-san?" "Neji-niisan is my cousin," Hinata replied. "You didn't know that?" was drowned out by the loud sound of "Nani?!" Then, an usher interrupted them. "Excuse me, but we're going to close this theater room for cleaning for the next showing. Please leave." "That was blunt," whispered Tenten, who then started to the door. The other five followed, and they found a couple of benches in the lobby where they could sit and talk.

"They do look quite similar, and both have the features of youth!" exclaimed Lee. "Ano...you could say that, I guess," Hinata said. "Neji-niisan's tou-san was my father's twin brother." Tenten sat down, blinking. "You mean...you mean...my beloved Hina-chan is related to that jerk?" "Eh...yeah," Hinata answered simply, knowing that contradicting Tenten would be of no use. "Oh the woe! The horror! Poor sweet Hina-chan has to live with this...this..." Tenten trailed off, unable to think of a word.

Sakura rolled her eyes, and Kurenai shook her head. Once Tenten was off like this, it seemed that no one could stop her. "What's wrong with me?" Neji injected. "You're...you...look like a girl," Tenten said. Neji blinked, and asked, "How?" Reaching towards his face, she fingered a lock of the ebony hair that fell slightly beyond his shoulders. "Your hair is softer than mine. It's all long, and feminine..." "Hn. It's not my fault I was born with better genetical structure, and am superior to most human beings."

"What?!" Tenten shrieked, launching herself at him. "Tenten. Neji," Lee began, "It is not youthful to fight!" He separated them with great difficulty, and Kurenai took hold of Tenten's wrists. "Breathe. Good." the crimson-eyed woman instructed. For some reason, Neji seemed to bring something out of her that no one else could. There were times in which Tenten used to come to Kurenai's home for lessons, and she would completely flip out. Most of the time, the reason behind her anger was Neji, who she had several classes with, ever since they met in kindergarten, when she moved to Konoha. Hate at first sight. Either that, or Tenten was still in shock from finding out that her sweet, kind, wouldn't-hurt-a-fly, indigo-haired best friend was related to Hyuuga, who seemed to make it his life mission to torture her throughout the brunette's years of schooling.

"Come on, let's go. We can talk somewhere else, and eat dinner together. I'm hungry." Sakura replied. "Gomen, but I have some things to do. Hinata-chan, why don't you spend some time with your friends, I'll make the excuses to your father," Kurenai suggested. Hinata hesitantly agreed, and Lee spoke up again, "Yosh! Let us find somewhere!" Kurenai waved, bidding them goodbye, and after waving back, they delved in Lee's idea.

"How about that ramen shop that Naruto is obsessed with?" suggested Sakura after moments of silence. She was met with more silence, and so, rolling her eyes, she set of towards Ichiraku's. After all, Teuchi-san and Ayame did serve more than just ramen, though that was their signature dish and all that Naruto seemed to eat.

"I'm fine with that," Tenten replied. "Me too," Hinata answered. Lee nodded, and Neji remained indifferent. "Ok, then, let's goཀ" the pinkette smiled, and between Lee and herself, started tugging their way towards Ichiraku's Ramen. Tripping slightly in the high heels which had been forced upon her, Tenten stumbled the five blocks to the ramen shop. Unbeknownst to her, Neji was sending her worried looks, though Hinata noticed, taking in the slight flush of her cousin's face, and the almost imperceptible smile that tugged at his lips. Hinata smiled.

Nearing Ichiraku's, Sakura ushered them all into the small shop, that held a welcome aura. Upon entering, they immediately heard a familiar voice.

"I'm telling you, that there's nothing wrong with eating ramen, nor my brainཀ"

"Says the usuratonkachi."

"Nani?ཀ Temeཀ"

"Hn, dobe."

"**Teme!**"

"Dobe."

"**TEME!**"

"Dobe."

"Argh! Stupid teme..."

Three guesses on who the pair was, and the first two don't count.

"Now, now, Naruto-kun, Uchiha-san," Teuchi nervously interrupted. The two rivals and friends (as much as they hated to admit it) were sitting at the bar, each with a bowl of ramen. When Ayame, who was working by her father's side, saw the group of five, she called out, "Welcome!" and led them to the seats at the bar. "Ah, Hinata-chan, Sakura-chan, Neji, Tenten, Bushy Browsཀ"

They all greeted Naruto, and the majority of them greeted Sasuke. which the raven returned, if a bit stiffly. Speaking of the majority...

"Uchiha."

"Hyuuga."

"Hn."

"Hn."

"_Hn._"

"**Hn.**"

"O—k, then," Naruto said. This little greeting seemed to happen every time Sasuke and Neji met, for some odd reason. It was like a little personal routine between them, and Naruto couldn't understand for the life of him why they always behaved like that. It could be the fact that the Hyuuga and Uchiha families were both holders of large companies, which happened to rival each other. Still, Sasuke didn't feel that sort of animosity towards Hinata as he did Neji.

The remaining five standing up took their seats, and Ayame handed them their menus. Naruto went back to his 'conversation' with Sasuke, and noise filled the room once again. Three minutes later, Ayame came back to take their orders. "I'd like a bowl of miso ramen, please," Sakura requested. Ayame nodded, and turned to the next person, Lee. "Curry tonkatsu with rice, please." "Herring soba," was Neji's response. "Herring soba? What kind of meal is that? Do they even serve that here?" Tenten questioned. Ayame winced slightly. Neji and Tenten's quarrels were quite legendary, and usually resulted in lots of property damage.

Oh, sure, they both paid for the damage they caused, but finding new furniture and refurnishing the shop would take awhile. In fact, their fights were only secondary to Naruto and Sasuke's. Oh, what did the Ichirakus do to cause both pairs to be at the restaurant on the same day? "Ano, we don't usually serve herring soba, but we can make some. We should have all the ingredients." Neji merely nodded nonchalantly, still eyes fixed on Tenten. She glared back, showing more emotion.

"O–k, Hinata-chan, what would you like?" Ayame asked, moving on. "Can I have a bowl of curry ramen, please?" Ayame smiled, and nodded. "Tenten-chan?" "Um...how about some pork teppanyaki with shiyo ramen?" "Hai," Ayame nodded, jotting down her order. "Tou-sanཀ Miso ramen, curry tonkatsu with rice, herring soba, curry ramen, and teppanyaki with shiyo ramenཀ" "Got itཀ" Teuchi replied.

Yawning slightly, Tenten tilted her head down onto her arms. She hadn't slept well last night, due to the fact that the bet she had made with Sakura was fresh on her mind. "Are you all right, Tenten-chan?" Hinata inquired, peering at her tired looking friend. "Hai," Tenten-chan answered, smiling at Hinata's concern. "Just a bit tired." "Like you always are?" Neji couldn't help but interject. "Why you..." Tenten spit out, and tried to tackle Neji. This was quite hard, as a innocent Hinata purposely sat between the two of them. Now if it was Sakura, she would have plotted them both right next to each other and have them fight it out, but Hinata was more subtle in her matchmaking. Besides, it's not like Neji needed any meddling...all the sweet Hinata planned was on giving Tenten a little push.

"Excuse me, I have to make a call," Hinata pardoned herself, drifting outside. She came back a mere minute later, and already the two of them were at each other's throats. "Eh..." she made a sound of gentle protest, as she slid herself into her seat again. Ayame came with the food, and laid it down. "Itadakimasu!" they chorused, as they began eating. Tenten stabbed her ramen angrily, then sighed, and started eating her meal. Though she could be hotheaded at times, Tenten knew that continuing her anger wouldn't help. After all, she had spent several years in his acquaintance. It was just the fact that he always seemed so cold that irked her. In fact, Tenten had tried to be friends with him at the beginning...

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_~Flashback~_

"_Everyone, meet Tenten-san. She's transferred here from Osaka with her father, and shall be in this class for the remainder of the year. Say hi to Tenten-san!__"_

"_Hi, Tenten-san!__" __the class chanted in unison._

"_Hi..." the girl standing in front of the classroom answered, peering at the sandals that adorned her feet. She had her hair in two short pigtails, and was dressed in the female uniform of Konoha elementary. Tenten looked ridiculously small in the slightly large navy plaited skirt, white blosue, and navy jacket. _

"_Tenten, go sit by Neji-kun, in the back there. Neji-kun, raise your hand." An equally chibi-ish boy with hair to his shoulders in long ebony locks quietly raised a hand. Tenten timidly walked over to the other child, and sat down next to him. "Hi, I'm Tenten." "So I conducted," Neji replied coldly. Tenten blinked at his abruptness and big words, and shyly continued. "What's your name?" "My name did not change in the mere minutes that our dear instructor has announced it." _

_Tenten's chocolate brown eyes widened with hurt, and she laid her head down on her desk. However, when lunchtime came, Tenten still determinedly followed Neji under the tree in which he was eating alone. "What are you doing?" she asked, peering at him. "Eating lunch." was his cold reply. "Can I join you?" Tenten said, sitting down next to him. "No." Tenten's eyes filled with tears, but she sat there, taking out a box of Chinese food, and eating it quietly. _

"_Can you leave?" Neji abruptly said. "What?" Tenten faltered. "I do not wish for another to join me, destiny has proved my life to be solitary." "Why?" Tenten asked. Sighing, Neji stood up. "It is none of your business. If you won't leave, I will." Taking his lunch, he left a tearing Tenten under the tree._

_Tenten didn't understand why Neji was being so cold. She didn't realize that his father had died a year before, on this very day. All she knew was that he was the first one she approached since leaving her friends behind in Osaka, and Neji brutally rejected her. She sat below the forgiving branches of the trees, and cried silently, sniffling between tears. _

"_Ano ne...Tenten-chan?" a shy blue-haired girl quietly walked up to her, and sat down next to Tenten. She took out a white handkerchief, embroidered with the initials H.H. and offered it to Tenten. When Tenten didn't take it, she used the cloth to gently blot away the other girl's tears. Sobbing, Tenten put her head into the other girl's shoulder. "Shh...it's all right, Tenten-chan. I'm Hyuuga Hinata, in the preschool class 5E, and everything will be alright, neh?"_

_Shakily, Tenten replied, "Hai...arigato, Hinata-chan." Hinata smiled, her pale face lighting up with the joy of making a new friend. Little did sweet, timid Hinata know that their friendship would last a lifetime. _

_~End Flashback~_

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Slurping her noodles, Tenten snapped out of her flashback. She couldn't believed that Hyuuga could be that much of a royal jerk at the mere age of five. She also couldn't believe that the sweet girl who she made friends with and comforted her after her botched up encounter with Neji could be his cousin. Suddenly, Sakura spoke up. "It's getting pretty late, do you all want to go home after this?" Sounds of agreement were made across the table, but for some reason Tenten just nodded, rather sleepy. Finishing her ramen and teppanyaki, the weapons mistress laid her head back onto her arms.

Teuchi came around with the bill, and after paying for it, the group went outside. "I shall take my beautiful flaming blossom of youth home, and then go home myselfཀ" Lee declared, bidding the others goodbye, and taking Sakura in one direction. Sakura called a hearty farewell towards her friends, and followed Lee. Tenten said, "Well, bye thenཀ I had...fun...I'll be going home now. Bye, Hinata-chan...Hyuuga." She started off, but Hinata caught her arm. "Neh, Tenten-chan, I live in that direction too, we'll come with you."

Tenten blinked, and then nodded. She could bear Hyuuga's presence if HInata was with her. "All right then, let's go." She started walking again, this time with Hinata by her side and Neji a step behind Hinata. On the way, Hinata stopped in front of a convenience store. "Can I drop in and get something? Hanabi-chan requested that I pick up something as I was going out." Tenten nodded her consent, and Neji remained indifferent. They watched as Hinata drifted into the store, going from shelf to shelf.

Tenten shivered. It was cold out, and Sakura hadn't allowed her to bring a jacket. Sure, the pinkette probably didn't expect them to be out this long, but the weather was undoubtedly starting to grow colder. Silently, Neji offered her his jacket, and she replied, "No, thank you." No need to be impolite, no matter how much of a jerk her companion was.

They stood out there, in the cold night, and silence radiated. Well, almost radiated. As the duo was peering at the friend and cousin, respectively, inside, they failed to notice a two black-clad figures sneak up to them. They were each holding a cloth soaked in some type of liquid, and approached the two. On the silent count of three, the two jumped the pair standing in the empty street.

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Tenten stared into the store as Hinata shopped, gingerly picking a packet of sweets, a bag of chips, and cup ramen of the shelf, then headed towards the large refrigerator in theback. She felt Neji's presence next to her, and was currently very self-conscious., and wishing for Hinata to hurry up. Sighing, she relaxed her position slightly, and shook out her shoulders.

Seconds later, she was jumped, and a cloth pressed to her nose. Hm..that smells funny...she thought, as she started swaying dizzily. Chloroform! her mind screamed at her, but it was too late. Her world faded into darkness.

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When Neji came to, Tenten was still unconscious, laid down next to him. He groaned, and rubbed his head. He couldn't believe that he had just been kidnapped! Kidnapped! How could he be so careless? Too late now, he thought. The only thing left to do now was try and get both himself and Tenten out in one piece. Speaking of Tenten...Neji nudged her, gently. "Tenten. Tenten. Tenten!" She bolted upright, and glared at him. "What?ཀ" Smirking wryly, he gestured around. Blinking, Tenten finally noticed her surroundings. "Ah..." she murmured. "Great. Now what?!" Tenten said. "We find a way out of here." Neji replied. "How do you suppose we do that?!"

The pair was currently locked in what seemed like a storage room, with no windows, and the door locked. There was a small hole in the wall, which served similar to a window, but bars secured the space, preventing anyone from getting out. "No idea." Tenten fell over; she was expecting some great escape plan or something. "Great. I suppose we'll have to wait," she said, as she laid herself back down on the floor. She was dead tired.

Silence ensued, until Tenten broke it, tired of the awkwardness. "Why are you always such a jerk?" Ok, perhaps that wasn't the best conversation topic, but hey, she was trying.

"Define what you call me being a jerk."

"You're always so...cold. You never talk with anyone, and you act like you hate me."

"You just said the key word."

"What, talk?"

"No."

"Um...jerk?"

"No."

"Complete jerk?"

"No."

"Hate?"

"...Do I have to answer? No."

"Cold?"

"No."

"...Act?"

Silence sounded. "Well, if you don't hate me, why do you act like you do? Do you have some sort of emotional stunt or something?"

"No."

"What's with you and one word answers?"

"..."

"Fine, don't answer me," Tenten pouted. "So...what did you learn from my father?"

"...he taught me the standards and uses of weapons."

"Did you like him as a teacher?"

"...Yes, I did. Your father is a kind man."

"Of course he isཀ"

A pause.

"Did you know that my mother died when I was three? I don't remember her much except for her smile, and how she always smelled of daisies and fresh baked chocolate chip cookies." Tenten began.

"Why the abrupt change of topic?" Neji asked.

"No reason." Tenten replied. But Neji could tell by the way her eyes flickered, from place to place in the room, as if fearing that something would jump out at her while she was undefended. Besides, Neji didn't mind listening to her tell her story.

"My dad worked at a weapons smith-shop for this guy. He was looking for somewhere to buy a shop and apartment complex, so that we could live there. Tou-san came across our house right now, and it was perfect for the two of us. I was five. I had moved to Konoha for three days before my dad got everything organized enough that he could enroll me in school. The day you first saw me was my first day of kindergarten, and my fourth day in Konoha. Speaking of that day, why were you so...cold?" Tenten asked.

"...do you know of Hiashi-sama and the incident with Kumo?"

"No, what's that about?"

"When I was four years old, and Hinata-sama three, there was a rival group of 'businessmen' from Kumo...I'd better start from the beginning. The Hyuugas have a rather grotesque system. There are two branches of the Hyuuga, the main branch and the other branch. Hinata-sama belongs to the first, I to the second. My father, Hizashi, was Hinata-sama's father, Hiashi's, younger twin brother. As a result, my father, mother, and I were condemned to serve their family."

"That's silly," Tenten said.

"What?"

"The way you call Hinata-chan Hinata-sama. You can tell merely by the way she addresses you that she considers you a close family member, and her 'older brother' in ways. She doesn't care, why should you?"

"...it was worse when we were children. Our opposition in Kumo sent assassins after Hinata-sa...Hinata-chan. Hiashi-sama stopped them, and killed their assassins. Unfortunately, one of the people killed was the son of one of the leaders of the other company. Not all business is exactly straight, and without underhandedness. The leader demanded Hiashi-sama's body, as revenge, or he would crush our company. Although it isn't so now, Kumo was stronger than the Hyuugas then. Hiashi-sama had no choice but to give in. Until my father stepped in. As a child, I believed that Hiashi-sama commanded my father to take his place, as his twin. It wasn't until recently that I found out that my father disabled my uncle, and took is place voluntarily, if not regretfully. However, because of my childhood believes, I snubbed Hinata-chan and made her life quite miserable."

"Ah..." Tenten trailed off.

"The day that you approached me was the one-year anniversary of my father's death. I was naturally in a bad mood."

Tenten gasped as she was struck with understanding. Because of that incident Tenten disliked Neji with all of her heart. Gingerly giving her friendship away, he had crushed her hope, and turned away. With that, she had vowed not to forgive, nor trust him. She supposed that that was the start of their rivalry, and her anger towards him. Tenten hadn't known his ulterior motive, and she supposed that was why she judged so badly of him.

"..gomen nasai," she whispered.

"There is no need to apologize." Neji let out a half smile. "I was being a bit of a jerk."

Tenten gasped. "A smile! The world is ending! And what do you mean a bit?" She laughed.

Hesitantly, she told him, "You know, I really did want to be your friend."

Neji nodded, and replied, "I know. I'm sorry that I acted that way. I've been a bit...infatuated with you lately."

She grinned, and replied, "Very tactful way of putting it. To be honest though...I have been a bit too...But that doesn't mean that I'll immediately start obsessing with you either."

"Wouldn't dream of it," he replied.

"Now, then," Neji said, "let's find a way out of here."

He stood up, and began searching the walls. The room was empty, and bare. "What do you have on you right now?" he asked her. "I have...ten kunai, forty shuriken, a wakizashi, a steel-plated fan, and ... a couple hundred senbon." Neji blinked at her, and said, "What did you expect was going to happen?" Tenten put an hand on the back of her neck, and replied, "I was packing lightཀ Sakura wouldn't let me bring anything else...Oh, I also have a dagger, and some gunpowder."

Neji emptied his pockets, and replied, "I have...money, a wakizashi, and this lighter, for some reason...oh, Hanabi-san requested that I bring Uncle's lighter with me, so that he wouldn't be able to smoke." Tenten gave him an open mouth stare. "That's all?" He nodded, a bit sheepish. "I didn't think I would need anything. Besides, I don't specialize in weapons. I do in hand-to-hand combat."

She sighed, and sat down, trying to think properly. Meanwhile, Neji continued to scout the walls. "Looks like they're made of wood, though it looks too strong to cut through with the throwing weapons we have on hand." "Wait!" Tenten exclaimed. Taking out of small packet filled with some type of black powder, Neji suddenly realized her plan. "How strong is the gunpowder? Speaking of that, why are you carrying around gunpowder anyways?"

"Uh...I'm not sure. And it's strong enough. Hand me your lighter, and stand back." She poured the gunpowder into the corner of the room.

Neji followed her instructions, and backed up to the wall, pulling her with him. "Ready?" she asked. "As ready as I'll ever be," he replied. "All right..."

They had one chance, before whoever was holding them captive would hear the explosion and come for them. Even if they just set the wood on fire, it would probably weaken the structure of the building. Sure, it was reckless, and probably extremely stupid, but it was better than awaiting their fate in the damp and dark room, right?

Tenten pulled back her arm, and counting on her deadly accuracy, she let go of the lighter as it flew.

The world seemed to explode. Coughing, Neji grabbed onto Tenten and climbed through the hole that the gunpowder had blown through the wall with help of the lighter. Through the smoke, they ran into the night. Or rather, the backyard. Of a certain person. Of which they both knew the identity of.

"**INUZUKA KIBA!****" **Tenten yelled. Seconds later, a hassled Kiba ran out, with Akamaru at his heels, and Shino following close behind, though at a more sedate pace. "Aw, man!" he groaned. "You blew a huge hole in my shed!" Next door, someone started yelling. "Kiba, what is it now?!" Ino's voice rang out. Apparently the Yamanakas lived the door over. "Tch, troublesome," and the sound of chips being consumed at a frantic rate was heard. And the Akimichis and Naras were also visiting. "Why you..." Tenten muttered, before going at Kiba with a flying tackle.

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"Now, explain this mess, Kiba," Inuzuka Tsume commanded. Kiba's mother had come home from shopping for groceries to find her son getting murdered by a girl a year older than him, her shed on fire and with a huge hole in it, weapons flying galore, and their neighbors' children (Shikamaru, Ino, & Chouji), Tenten & Neji, Shino, and sweet Hinata all standing there, staring at the chaos with wide, wide, eyes.

Naturally, she freaked.

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**And that's a wrap****ཀ ****This is the longest, first, and probably only Neji/Tenten AU one-shot fanfic that'll I'll ever write****ཀ ****I hope that you all enjoyed it, it's fifteen pages on Word, O.o Thanks for reading, and please review!****It'd make me very happy!**

**EDIT: Apparently Fanfiction won't let me upload it on Microsoft, but messes up all the punctuation on Word. Most of it should be fixed now. **


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